Build Your Own Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine On The Cheap

19 Comments

March 15, 2011

The Zoetrope is a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) made from materials commonly found at your local hardware store and a few easily purchased online, and Applied Sciences has made the decision to “open source” the turbine for everyone who wants to try their hand at making one. With videos and a downloadable PDF construction guide, it looks like anyone with a menial amount of handyperson abilities could make one for themselves.

These type of vertical-axis wind turbines are quiet, really strong, and don’t require too much wind in order to operate efficiently. I am thinking I may just give building one of these a shot myself!

Excellent find David! Love to see more small home grown energy solutions like this.

Along the same lines I’ve searched high and low for a small sterling engine based system with a parabolic reflector aimed at the sun for the heat source. Seems like it would work but can’t find anyone that’s made it work on a home scale. (just planing a seed)

I’m an environmental science teacher and think it would be awesome to build one of these as an end of year project with my class. Any idea how much all the supplies cost and about how many man hours this would take?

“why arnt we mass producing these in the factories in Michigan that have been abandoned from the decline of the auto industry???”

Yes why aren’t WE doing just that… My suggestion is that this great site we are on now should start a KICK STARTER project so that WE can all pile our money together and start a factory to do just that!

You’ll love this. Get a junker front load washing machine, for free, from your local appliance dealer, and tear it apart. Inside you will find a wonderfully built radial, permanent magnet, motor with a housing and mount that is perfectly suited for propeller and VAWT construction and generation. Connect your choice of designs, add a AC/DC converter, and load your batteries with free energy.

It’s time to circumvent the monopolies who intend to extract all our income.